Inspiration
by makos-lightningrod
Summary: Just all of our Makorra drabbles. Summary/Prompt and Rating will be at the top of each chapter.
1. Chapter 1

**INDIRECT EMBRACE**

**Genre:**Romance/Angst

**Rating:**T

**Pairing(s):**Makorra

**Summary:**_His scarf always kept him safe. He hoped it would do the same for her._

When he saw her come out in his old coat and a hat they had found lying around the attic, he almost felt like he had stopped breathing. The weight of what they were about to do clenched his heart tighter, and Mako knew that everything might turn out to be not enough.

Without a word, he unwrapped the red scarf around his neck, looping the middle around her slim, dark neck before curling the edges until only her bright blue eyes shone out from behind it. His fingers slipped and pressed against her cheek, and he turned his eyes away, trying not to let his shaking hands betray his emotions.

At least she would be able to get out, he hoped, if it came down to a fight. Maybe that was why he gave her the scarf that was the last thing he had to remind him of his parents. Or maybe he just wanted one last excuse to touch her.


	2. Chapter 2

**DRESS UP**

**Genre:**Friendship

**Rating:**K

**Pairing(s):**Makorra

**Summary:**_It's the first time they've seen each other dolled up. Korra's not true she likes it._

She was skeptical, of course. She knew what Tarrlok wanted from her and the gifts hadn't helped her at all. She'd given him the answer he never expected, but it was the answer she had.

However, this didn't stop Korra from letting the smooth fabric of her dress slip over her head and fall to hug the curves of her body. Jinora and Ikki squealed when they saw her and demanded that her hair be done by them and _only_ them.

As a finished product, Korra thought she cleaned up pretty well. She was not one for dresses, but Pema had urged her to look her best after she wrestled Tenzin into his own robes.

Korra wondered if Mako and Bolin would be there as she walked up the steps. She saw the scrolls with her picture on them and felt her face flush. Maybe this was more than she really bargained for.

When the six of them came in, she was taken aback by the amount of people there.

They were all there for her.

It was rare to find herself speechless. She couldn't believe this was all for her.

When Tarrlok pulled her away from Tenzin, she looked at him with unease before he ran off to reprimand Meelo.

Korra followed Tarrlok, giving polite smiles to people who met her eyes. As she passed by one of the doorways, she couldn't help but stop. Through the crack in the door, she couldn't believe what she saw.

Straying from Tarrlok, she went closer to the door and watched as Mako pulled on a sharp-looking jacket, outlining his broad shoulders. Korra flushed a bit and leaned against the door, causing her to fall through awkwardly.

"O-Oh!"

He turned and saw her. "Korra-"

"He-Hey!" she exclaimed, fixing her collar. She met his eyes and wondered what he was thinking. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long to find out.

"You look great."

**Great.**

Okay, so maybe Korra was expecting a better compliment, but she dismissed it immediately. "You look-" She couldn't put her finger on it, but he looked off.

"Did you comb your hair?" asked Korra, puzzled as she walked to him and tilted her head.

"You sound surprised," he murmured, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I am-" Without thinking, she brushed her fingers through his hair and mussed it, watching as it reverted back to its original form.

"He-Hey-" He snatched her wrists and frowned.

"It looks better this way," she said simply as she pulled out of his grasp before noticing the scarf on the table. "You don't look right without your scarf."

He gazed at her for a moment and reached for the scarf, whipping it around his collar. "Is that better?" he asked, his voice spiked with sarcasm.

"Yeah. Yeah, it is," she murmured with a faint smile before turning and leaving.

Mako looked after her as the fitter came forward to look at him with skepticism. As he reached for the scarf, Mako snatched his wrist and frowned.

"The scarf stays."


	3. Chapter 3

**WRAPPED IN RED**

**Genre:**Family

**Rating:**K

**Pairing(s):**Makorra

**Summary:** _Mako relies on a family heirloom to lull his daughter._

His wife had gone to bed finally after Mako found her falling asleep against the counter. He had promised her that he would take care of Meili, but now she was bawling her eyes out, and Mako just wanted to curl up in the corner with her curled in his arms and cry with his daughter.

He sat down on the couch and tried to rock with her, having given up on pacing up and down, jostling her up and down in his arms as he had seen new mothers do in the market. Didn't work.

Her little fists were curled up tightly into his scarf, and he suddenly had an idea. He could dimly remember Bolin's tears as a baby, the way his face scrunched up and he looked like a little old wrinkled man that was burning red and wet.

He slid down onto his knees and laid Meiyo on her back, trying to sooth her gently as he laid out his scarf. He set her in the middle, trying to remember how his mother had curled up the edges, tucking them in securely and making sure Bolin hadn't been even able to move.

He had always wanted to play after he saw Bolin the first time, saying he wanted to be a spring roll like his brother! His father would always bring out a blanket before wrapping Mako up tightly and carrying him around before settling on the bed.

Mako smiled softly at the memory before looking down at the suddenly calm expression his daughter had. She blinked her wide blue eyes up at him before he cradled her against his chest, his red scarf swaddling her tightly.

He sat there for a long time, watching her sleep before his wife walked in, a smile lighting up her face as she saw the two of them.

"She's going to make sure the scarf stays."


	4. Chapter 4

**ICING ON THE CAKE**

**Genre:**Friendship

**Rating:**T

**Pairing(s):**Makorra

**Summary:**_Mako wants to cheer Korra up, since he feels he hasn't been supportive. Bolin suggests taking her to a dessert shop (aka the shop where he got his cupcake). So Mako takes Korra to a dessert shop. Awkwardness ensues._

**A/N:**A prompt from makorradotcom.

Mako didn't understand why he had let Bolin talk him into this. He nervously tugged on his scarf as he looked around the shop, waiting to see the familiar water tribe girl.

"Girls like cake," Bolin said as if everyone knew this. Mako didn't. Mako knew nothing about girls. "So take her there. She'll like it. All the cakes and things are really pretty, flowering and-and girly!"

Mako had been unsure from the get-go, but now he was here and his nervousness grew tenfold. This was not the type of place Korra would like. He should have taken her to a pro-bending match or-or started a street fight so she could beat someone up. Anything but this overly pink and cream cake shop.

Then Korra was inside and he realized there was no time to retreat.

"Um, hey," he rubbed his neck and tried to keep from fidgeting. "Do you want to go somewhere else?" please, please, please let her say yes.

"Oh, no! This place has great cake!" and then Mako was dragged along behind her to the counter.

She ordered for them and he fumbled out the last bits of Yuans he had from his factory job to pay.

"You have cake on your face," Korra pointed out after a few silent moments of nomming her own piece of cake.

He tried to find the elusive cake, but he just pawed at the wrong side of his face.

"Here," she leaned over and her fingers nimbly swiped the frosting up before he could even struggle to come to terms with her space invasion.

He could only stare as she licked her finger. "Yours is better."

There was nothing he could say as she devoured his piece of cake, too.


	5. Chapter 5

**ADMIT IT**

**Genre:**Romance/Humor

**Rating:**T

**Pairing(s):**Makorra

**Summary:**_Mako wants his scarf back, but Korra isn't willing._

**A/N:** For Seo, my love. 3

He had already asked nicely for her to give his scarf back. Mako stared at the girl who had kept his prized possession hostage for a whole week, and he was not leaving her room in Air Temple Island until he got it back.

"You want your scarf back?" Korra demanded as she whipped it off the table and held it tightly in her hands. "Fine, you'll get it back."

Her hands were on his chest then, and he stumbled back against the bed and fell. "Korra!" He yelled her name out as hit the bed. Then, he stopped breathing as she took his precious scarf and tied him to the bed.

"Wha-what are you doing?" He stuttered out before tried to gently get his wrists out of their bonds. He didn't want to ruin the scarf, after all. He gulped and looked up at her where she loomed over him.

"I just want you to admit that you like me," Korra answered as her legs slid around his waist to hold him firmly down on the bed- half wrestling move and half seduction.

Mako's eyes widened before he sputtered, "What? N-no! Wha-" his words were cut off as she kissed him, her lips warm as they awkwardly pressed to his. His surprise wore off and he kissed her back finally doing what he had thought about since he had saw her at their pro-bending match that first day.

Korra was making a soft sound that he hadn't known she could make, it seemed so girly and perfect and he slid his tongue along her mouth to nudge hers open, deepening the kiss hungrily.

He tugged at his bonds again, realizing that he wouldn't get to touch her, and a growl rocked through his chest that made Korra almost fall off him. She stared down at the handsome firebender, realizing that this wasn't what Ikki and Jinora had had in mind when they had given her advice a few days ago.

"Admit it," Korra huffed, her cheeks pink and her eyes dancing. "Admit it, Mako."

"Untie me first."

She seemed to be thinking about it before reaching over, her fingers nimble as she undid the knots and let him free.

"Korra…" Mako licked his lips before his mouth was back on hers, his chest pressing against her own and wishing that they both didn't wear so many damn layers.

"Yes, I like you."


	6. Dumplings and Water Stains

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Rating: **K

**Pairing(s): **Makorra

**Summary: **_Mako agonizes over meeting the parents._

Now that the day was saved, Mako realized he had to deal with something infinitely worse than a revenge-seeking bloodbender. Mako was going to have to introduce himself to Korra's parents.

That was why he was in the kitchen where Bolin found him hiding out trying to make some dumplings because when something bad happened- Bolin trying and failing to metalbend for five days straight, losing a match, after the fateful kiss with Korra….Mako had escaped to the kitchen and got down to cooking.

It was soothing, except when his brother came in to bug him.

"Mako, are you really going to hide in here and not be with Korra? Because she's telling her parents all about you, and I think that they think you're together, but that doesn't make sense because if you LOVE," he screamed this word so loud that Pabu shot his head into the kitchen curiously. "if you LOVE Korra, you'd be with her. Holding her hand. THAT IS TRUE LOVE MY BROTHER."

Mako blinked slowly and stepped to the sink, washing his hands for a lot longer than usual. "I-I just-her parents," his cheeks were flaming as he turned to meet his brother's eyes. "I don't think they'll like me."

After all, his track record with meeting his girlfriend's parents hadn't gone too well lately. First, Hiroshi Sato had thought he was a firebending street rat that was the scum of the earth and sort of wanted to kill him and all people like him, and now…Well, he hadn't been too kind to Korra to begin with.

He still inwardly groaned when Bolin brought up the fact that he had tried to send her away when she had first stumbled into the Probending Arena.

Yeah, Mako knew he didn't have a lot of shining moments when it came to Korra.

When he raised his head up from staring at the soapy water swirling down the sink, he found Korra's blue eyes staring at him. They looked happy, really happy, and he couldn't help but feel his lips break out into an awkward grin. "I guess you…um, heard Bolin?" Who had mysteriously disappeared, Mako noted with a huff. Spirits, he knew how to always let the punishment fall on Mako.

"Just a bit," she leaned against the doorway and quirked her eyebrow at him. He wondered if she knew what she really did to him, how he sort of wanted to just grab her and pull her into his arms. But he restrained himself, and just leaned against the sink before he realized that a large wet spot was slowly sinking into his hip. Yeah, he was really smooth.

"So, um, how are your parents? I'm sure they're happy to see you and know you're safe…." Mako kind of thought about running out of the back door, but he didn't think he'd get very far surrounded by ice and snow and earth that she would definitely be able to trap him in.

Korra nodded and walked over to him, her arms slinging around his neck before her cheek was pillowed on his chest. "Yeah, but they want to meet you. For real. I told them about you," her eyes gleamed. "Especially about how you…"

Kissed her when he had a girlfriend, strung her along, broke her heart. He waited for any of those things to leave her lips, his past condemning him to a future where her parents would hate his guts for the rest of his life because of the mistakes he had made.

"Saved me."

His eyes stung, and Mako managed a quivering smile. Because even after all the bad things he had done, the mistakes he had made in regards to his friends and the people he loved, Korra still forgave him.

She still loved him.


	7. Fallen Strands

**FALLEN STRANDS**

**Genre: **Romance

**Rating: **K+

**Pairing(s): **Makorra

**Summary: **_Mako deals with seeing Korra with her hair down._

Korra shifted in her long red skirt and scowled in the mirror. She didn't understand why they had to visit the Fire Lady once she had finally started to master some bits of airbending, but Tenzin had been very clear. And maybe it didn't hurt that it was Asami either.

The Fire Lady laughed when she saw Korra's expression, and she carefully went over and pulled out her water tribe hair ties. "This isn't really a style that goes with that dress," the other girl said as she pushed the avatar down into a chair and got to work on her hair.

"Don't stare or say anything rude," Asami hissed at Bolin, Mako, and Iroh as she hurried out the doorway on the ship and met the boys up above in the air. "She's really…touchy about the new clothes." Asami reached over and gently tangled her hand with the general before smiling up at him.

"I'm not rude! What are you implying?!" Bolin flailed a bit as he peered into the doorway with interest in his green eyes.

"She's implying that you don't think before you speak," his brother said with a wry grin before acting like he cared a lot about what was happening on the other side of the ship. The firebender still hadn't made peace with the two girls over his betrayal. Asami might have easily moved on to the suave general, but Korra still barely even looked at him.

He blocked out the others as he made his way to the railing and leaned against it. The wind whipped through his dark hair, making it messier than usual as he stared out at the endless sea. He wanted so badly to turn around, knowing that the Fire Nation outfits weren't exactly modest, but he knew he couldn't.

Mako had already realized that he had ruined any chance he had with Korra after the fiasco that was their first kiss, and he wasn't about to make sleeping harder with new fonder for any wet dreams that he couldn't seem to banish.

"You've never been to the Fire Nation, have you?" Her voice jolted his from thoughts of his latest dream, the one where he was stripping off the Equalist garb that they had used to infiltrate Amon's hideout so he could have his naughty way with her.

"No, we always lived in Republic City, even when my parents-" He had turned towards her, and his mouth fell open as he stared. He had always known Korra was beautiful, but he hadn't really seen her outside of her normal clothing.

But it wasn't even the clothing that made his lose all sense of what words he was trying to say before he had looked at her. No, not even the revealing red top that showed off dark skin to it's best advantage, her muscles subtle, but perfect in the way they flexed as she moved to lean against the railing.

The thing that he couldn't comprehend was her hair.

Without the ties holding it back, it fell with wild abandon around her shoulders, framing her face in dark waves that made him long to run his fingers through.

Mako had figured it out long ago. Hair was his downfall. The first time with Asami when she had taken her helmet off and those perfect black waves had fallen around her shoulders had made him speechless. When he was thirteen and just learning about girls he couldn't stop staring at the girls with the perfect curls or the ones that the wind seemed intent on blowing their hair into sexy disarray.

And now all of his fantasies and daydreams had not prepared him for the sight of Korra with the wind blowing through her locks and her scowl as she kept shoving her hair back.

Mako couldn't stop the hand that rose and took the place of her own, the silky brown strands sliding through his fingers like water. "Don't-" Korra's eyes were wide as they stared at him, and he realized he was making a fool of himself.

"Don't what?" She demanded to know, her bottom lip pouting out because she thought he was making fun of her. "I know I look stupid, I told Asami I should just wear my normal clothes…And my hair is so annoying, I'm going to go put it back up."

She turned to stomp back downstairs to her room, but his fingers curled around her arm. "Don't do that. It's beautiful. You're beautiful. I-I like your hair like that."

Mako was never going to recover.


	8. Giving an 'I Love You'

**Genre:** Humor/Romance

**Rating:** K

**Pairing(s):** Makorra

**Summary:** _Prompt:Mako asks Senna what kind of present Korra would like, and she suggests a betrothal necklace to play a little trick on him._

"Um, so, Senna," Mako ambled closer into the kitchen and quickly started to dry off the dishes that were stacked by the sink. He coughed and bit his lip before trying to get out the words he had practiced for a long time in the bathroom.

"I sort of love your daughter and want to get her a present, but Korra, being Korra, it's hard to know what she'd like and what she'd throw back into my face," he finally stumbled out as he shoved a plate into the cabinet and took a deep breath.

Then, he waited. The silence stretched between the two of them, its bloated weight heavy in the air until he was dropping the towel and backing up towards the safety of the entryway. "Or-okay, maybe I'll just go and see if-yeah…"

"Wait," Senna turned and laughed, her eyes sparkling as she raised an eyebrow at the firebender. "I was just-You sound so nervous! Do you think I bite?" She bared her teeth, and really, she was anything but menacing.

"No," Mako finally gave her a smile, a bit hesitant and unsure, but a smile nonetheless. "I mean, I just want to make a good impression…"

"You did that when you cooked breakfast your first morning visiting," Senna answered as she went back to washing dishes. "And I know of the perfect present…"

Had her eyes not been on the water, Mako may have noticed the gleam in her eyes.

Two nights later, by the looks of it, Mako thought it really had been the perfect gift. Senna had showed him how to make it, modeled after the one that she wore. However, she informed him of the different symbols that one placed on the pendant that had different meanings. To be simple, he settled for the symbol of the Southern Water Tribe. He managed to carve it out the best he could. So it was a bit misshapen and cracked at the bottom, but it was made by him!

He cornered Korra in the sitting room and cleared his throat. "I wanted to give you something," he said quickly, handing her the small parcel.

She stared at it and then at him before shaking it. "What is it?" she laughed, unwrapping it and gaping at it so suddenly.

"I-Okay. So it's not the best thing I've made. Or…good or whatever, but I thought…It's got nice color," he managed.

Korra lifted the necklace from the box and watched it spinning slowly on the slip of fabric that the pendant hung from. "I-We're moving a little fast, don't you think?" She was smiling.

Mako cleared his throat. "Oh. We are? I just thought-Since…since we're together that you might…like a gift. A token of my love?"

"Well-" She blushed.

He frowned. "What? What is it?"

Korra held the necklace out by the two ends. "This-" She shook it gently. "-is supposed to be given when a man intends to marry a woman. A betrothal necklace."

He could have died. "What?!" He snatched it from her. How could this thing be sayin all of that?!

"I don't want to marry you!" He stopped and stared at her. "Well, no, I mean..Sure…One day, yeah! But we just-" He shook his arms. "We just got together. You just told me you love me! Big day. I mean…maybe we can hold off on it? I'll give you this back when we're ready-"

"Did my mother put you up to this?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?! NO!"

The two of them could hear a familiar laugh in the kitchen.


	9. Regrets

**Genre:** Romance

**Rating: **K

**Pairing(s): **Makorra

**Summary: **_Prompt- "So Close" Jon McLaughlin. Korra deals with the aftermath of Mako's affections._

Korra shifted in the bed, her hair tumbling around her. Pema had taken it down when she had washed her up, fixing up the scars marring her dark skin and just being silent and comforting as she helped Korra into bed. She could feel his eyes on her, but she ignored it.

If she thought about it hard enough, she could still feel the roughness of his fingertip against her cheek, pushing her hair away with care she hadn't known he possessed. Usually, the Mako she knew was rough and awkward, his voice gruff, his eyes averted, but after she had escaped from Tarrlock she had seen a new side of him.

_So I bid mine goodbye and never knew_  
><em>So close was waiting, waiting here with you<em>

Yet, even as he showed her so much care without worrying about his girlfriend, his brother, she had realized in that moment- he wasn't for her. Not if it meant hurting everyone they both cared about.

Korra's eyes opened up, meeting the amber eyes of the boy beside her bed, the one that refused to leave her side after she was told to rest- everything would be okay. "Mako….go to bed. I don't think Tarrlock or Amon will bust through my window and capture me again."

_So close to reaching that famous happy end_  
><em>Almost believing this was not pretend<em>

"I'm fine here," he huffed as he crossed his arms and slouched lower in his uncomfortable chair. "I like sleeping….in a chair." The flush on his cheeks moved all the way to the top of his ears as he looked at her bashfully.

She huffed and turned away from him, her hair falling into her eyes as she stared at the wall. "You're an idiot."

Her breath stopped as she felt his fingers on her cheek, sliding through the silky strands of her hair. She stayed still, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to get her whole body under control. It wasn't fair.

It wasn't fair that he could just come into her life and give her all these feelings without following through with them. He had kissed her, kissed her!- and then nothing. They were back to their awkward friendship and avoiding any sort of emotions that might make them slip up.

Sometimes she wondered if he was even fazed at all by her presence like she was by his.

"I know."

His voice was sad and filled with longing, and she suddenly realized she wasn't the only one with suppressed regrets.

_So close_  
><em>So close<em>  
><em>And still so far<em>


	10. Something Blue

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Rating:**K+

**Pairing(s):** Makorra

**Summary: **_Prompt: Mako accidentally sees Korra in a Water Tribe wedding dress._

Korra came out from behind the dressing screen and smoothed her hands down the pale blue silk. She and the airbending children had been playing dress up, or rather, she had been angrily putting on all the clothes they threw at her to keep them entertained.

She hadn't known babysitting was so strenuous or that it dealt with girls screaming at such high decibel levels. Which they proceeded to do when they saw her in her mother's old wedding dress. Maybe she should find Mako and trade children with him. Ikki and Jinora would love hanging on him and making him blush with questions about everything and anything.

"Oh my spirits, Korra, you look so pretty and you should get married in that!" Ikki gasped and her small body lifted up in the air as she twirled, showing off her own gown that was a bit too big for her, but floated around her as the air blew around.

"I bet Mako would think you look beautiful," Jinora said as she glanced from trying to construct what she believed a dragon princess would wear. At the moment it was just a mass of red and orange fabric.

Korra scowled at their praise and stomped to the bed, throwing herself on it and tugging at the skirt that wrapped up around her legs. "I'm not getting married," she told them without looking away from the ceiling. "At least not anytime soon."

Ikki pouted her bottom lip out and almost hit Korra in the face as she flapped her arms around. "Why wouldn't you get married? That's the best thing about relationships! You get to dress up in a pretty dress and have flowers and live in a castle after!"

Korra blinked slowly at this idea of marriage and shook her head. "Well, if I do get married I don't want a dress or a fancy thing with people watching me!" she declared as she stood up and got out of the way of the flailing limbs. "It's all nice and good for girls like my mom and you two, but I don't really like that sort of thing."

She put on her prissy look that pretty much involved her pouting her lips adorably as she pulled her hair down so that it fell in soft waves around her shoulders. "See, I don't even think Mako would want me to look like this, I mean, I look so silly!" She gaze at herself in the mirror and slowly ran her hands down the silky fabric on her sides.

"Mako, Korra doesn't want to marry you!" Ikki exclaimed as Korra stared at her in shock and confusion. Mako was outside making snowmen with Meelo. She knew it!

"Ikki, stop playing jokes on me. I know Mako's outside, and it's not like he'd care if I want to get married or not," Korra huffed as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Hey! Don't I get a say in this marriage business?" Mako demanded as he stood in the doorway. He licked his lips and opened his mouth as Korra turned around, but then he slammed his lips closed and then felt a bit like a fish as this kept occurring. He just wanted to think of something to say, but just seeing Korra dressed up like a bride, her hair down _she knew how much he liked her hair down…._

It was too much for the firebender.

Korra gaped at her boyfriend and touched her flaming cheeks. "You-you want to get married?"

Mako crossed to her, his arms slowly wrapping around her waist until he could twirl her around. Ikki and Jinora giggled at this romantic display before screaming. "Say yes and kiss her!"

Mako was happy to oblige.


	11. Run

**Genre: **Romance/Angst

**Rating:**K+

**Pairing(s):** Makorra, implied Kataang

**Summary:**_Even though Tenzin is wise, Mako is not patient._

_"You need to be patient with her. It will take time for her to accept what has happened."_

Screw patience.

Mako pulled away from Tenzin and sighed, walking back inside. He barely glanced at Bolin and Asami as he went into one of the bedrooms to think. He felt helpless, just standing there while Korra was Spirits know where.

He closed his eyes and looked out the window at the icy terrain. There was snow for kilometers. She was out there. Alone.

"That window opens, you know." He turned to see the elderly Katara standing there, her hands tucked into the sleeves. "It may be cold for a bit, but I know how to close a window."

"Katara-?" Mako looked at the window again and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought the window would be more…heroic and dramatic than just walking out the door. You already did that." She gave him a small smile. "I know you want to. So why are you still here?"

For that moment, they gazed at one another. They knew what it felt like. Katara had fallen in love with Aang.

And he'd fallen in love with Korra.

"Thank you," he said softly and slipped the screen window open before hopping out, running through the gate.

He knew the direction she had set off, but no idea how far she may have gone. She may have even gone in an opposite direction by now, but he just kept running. The snow seeped into his worn shoes, making his toes numb.

His breath clouded in front of his face and blew past him while the brisk cold stung at his bones.

None of that fazed him.

By the time he slowed down, there was cold sweat sticking to him and his fingers were frozen. He'd slipped four times, running up and down snowy hills, face planting into ice.

His heart was constricting and his throat was closing up at every freezing breath.

That was when he saw her.

That large canine running toward him. "Naga!" He shouted, sprinting forward before he collided with her warm fur. "Naga-" He pulled back and looked her in the eye. "Where's Korra?" He asked. "Take me to her."

She gave a bark and started a fast pace of running again. Seeing Naga reengergized him. It meant that Korra was somewhere near.

And she was.

He watched as she ascended into the air, a cyclone of air spinning violently beneath her. Swallowing hard, he stepped forward and placed his hands on his knees to gain his breath back. But his eyes couldn't move away from her.

She was beautiful.

And terrifying.

He'd only ever heard stories of the Avatar State. About the glowing eyes. The powerful waves of bending. "Korra…" There was no way she could hear him, but still. It felt right saying her name.

His eyes widened as she began to bend water, fire, and earth - the three elements she had lost only a few days ago. The elements that not even Katara could bring back.

But Mako was right about her.

_She was a natural._

His gaze followed her as she landed back down onto the ground. He wondered if she knew he was there. That question was quickly answered as he saw her shoulders tense and he finally saw the familiar set of blue eyes he'd found impossible not to love.

A smile spread on his face, full of admiration before he started to walk toward her. It was only a few steps before she was sprinting toward him. He laughed as she jumped into his arms, making him stumble in the snow before he embraced her tightly - spinning her.

This felt right.

As he set her down on her feet, he was afraid to talk. He looked down at her and felt his eyes widened slightly when she touched his face in the same way he did so only a mere hour ago.

"I love you, too."

Those four words made Mako's heart stop.

He leaned down and met her for a kiss. It was different from their first kiss. There were no secrets anymore. No one holding the two of them back. This was for them.

As he felt her arms slip around him, he tightened his arms around her and lifted her off her feet, spinning her around. "Say it again," he demanded as she laughed.

"I love you, too!" She shouted, burying her face in his scarf and crying out from the adrenaline and excitement.

"One more time! I didn't think I heard you," exclaimed Mako as the two of them fell back into the snow. He didn't care that his feet were likely to be frostbitten and that he was going to get sick.

All that mattered was the girl beneath him.

She looked up at him and sighed. "I love you, Mako," she whispered. "Did you hear it that time?"

Mako smiled and leaned down, their noses brushing. "One more."

"I-" A kiss. "-love-" Another. "-you." One last.

"I love you, too."

"Do you think we should go look for her?" Senna asked softly, worried about what could be happening when Korra was so shaken.

Katara touched her shoulder and smiled. "I think she'll be just fine."

She faintly heard the howl of a polarbeardog.


	12. Fire Nation Nightgowns

**Genre: **Romance/Humor

**Rating: **K+

**Pairing(s):** Makorra

**Summary: **_Prompt: Korra and Mako awkwardly share a bed for the first time._

Korra stared into the mirror on the tiny bathroom wall, breathing deeply and steeling herself for what was about to happen. Her hair fell around her in soft folds and she was in an actual nightgown, one that brushed her knees and made her feel like a child again.

It was something that the Fire Lady had given her, along with other clothes from the Fire Nation that she wouldn't have been caught dead in, but she had accepted them with a tight lipped smile.

Now, all she had to do was open the door. Korra turned the knob, stopping just before the door could creak and then finally shoving it all the way open. Her eyes widened as she stared at the man on her bed.

**Mako.**

He had refused to allow her to sleep alone, saying that he didn't trust anyone with her safety in the Fire Nation. Frankly, she thought he was full of lionbullshit, but she hadn't argued.

_Much._

She gulped and made her way to the edge of the bed, sliding in under the covers with him and shifting and moving to stay on the very edge. She knew she was a heavy sleeper. She kicked and flung her blankets about, but she didn't want to touch him and make him uncomfortable. She was the one that had said it was okay that they shared the same bed when he had tried to make a nest on the floor, anyway.

She could handle this.

"You can get closer, you know," his voice held a hint of laughter, and she nodded curtly before sliding her body into his side. But that brought about the problem of her arms and his arms and their legs, and the fact that she was on the wrong side of the bed. The left was her side.

And he was definitely taking up that whole side.

"Goodnight," she said finally before thinking about giving him a kiss. But then she thought about how that might give him the wrong impression. Sure, they were dating for a few months now. They kissed. But not while in a _bed_. That was…a whole new level. And if she did give him a kiss, should it be the cheek, the mouth, the _nose?!_

Korra gave a frustrated little groan and flopped to her side, forgetting for a moment that Mako was right there beside her. Then, she felt his whole body press against her back, and his arm was curling under hers and wrapping around her waist and she felt…

Trapped.

But how do you tell that to someone who obviously wants to hold you? She gave an awkward cough and then tried to discreetly moved out from under his arm. "Um, maybe we could….Let me hold you instead?"

Korra peered over her shoulder at him with big, blinking eyes until he was adjusting his body to accommodate her. They shifted around, her elbow spiking into his back and she gave a muffled, sorry, and then foot had somehow gotten tangled with hers, and she gave a solid 'oof' as he dragged her to get undone.

This position was a bit better, but Korra didn't really like to eat shirt. And she was getting quite the face-full, at the moment. She finally just let it go, figuring he'd fall to sleep and if worse came to worse she'd just sleep on the ground like **he **had originally planned.

"Shh, don't wake them up," Jinora exclaimed as Meelo hovered over the slumbering couple. Somehow, in the night, the awkwardness had disappeared and they had clung to each other, their legs tangling and Korra's head was pillowed on Mako's arm.

"Oh my spirits, they look so cute!" Ikki squealed as she bounced at the edge of the bed and then screamed out. "I CALL BRIDESMAID." She stuck her tongue out at her elder sister before gasping as she saw Korra waking up. Then, they all ran out of the room because they weren't supposed to disturb Korra.

The waterbender opened her eyes and stared. Then, she felt something hot and heavy breathing beside her and gasped. Her whole body tensed as she shuffled away, her movements slow with sleep and contentment.

She turned to stare down at the firebender. Her fingers touched his cheek as she took in his rumpled hair and the fact that all the stress and pain were erased from his face while he slept.

She could get used to waking up to this every morning.


	13. Trembling Steps

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Rating:**T

**Pairing(s):** Makorra

**Summary:**_Prompt - Sayuri has a wake-up call for her parents._

She felt him move beside her and then the weight of his arm press into her backside. She made a noise of protest and buried her face in her pillow, trying not to open her eyes. The moment she opened them, she'd never get back to sleep.

His mouth pressed against her shoulder and up her neck, his tongue darting out to draw a shape on the nape of her neck, making her laugh. "Mmm…stop it," she whispered, feeling him scoot closer to her.

"You just smell so good," he murmured in her ear, chuckling softly.

"I smell like you," she teased, letting him pull her closer to him. She opened her eyes finally and turned to him. "Which is quite plausible since you couldn't stop rubbing your body against mine last night…"

He rolled on top of her and his eyes glowed in the faint light that spilled in from the curtains of their bedroom. "You weren't complaining when I was rubbing up against you," he replied, moving his hand down to touch her gently. She moaned softly and felt his mouth press kisses down her neck. She shivered a bit and closed her eyes, letting him have his way with her.

A cry broke out, making them pull apart. He groaned softly and sighed, laying against her. "Your daughter's awake," he mumbled.

"Before the sun comes up, she's _your_ daughter," she told him as she rolled out from under him. He scowled and slipped off the bed, pulling on his shirt and a pair of casual pants. She gave him a pout. "Pretty please."

"Fine. Even though the sun is up. But only because I love you." He grinned widely and slipped out of the bedroom and down the hall.

They'd only been living in their new house for a few months - since the baby was born. Before that, they'd been staying in Republic City, but settled for a small home that was being built on Air Temple Island. Tenzin had made arrangements so that they were close enough to visit, but far enough for their own privacy.

He slid open the screen door and walked over to the small bed that held his daughter. "There's my girl," he whispered softly, picking her up and brushing his fingers over the thin layer of hair covering her head. "Now what's wrong?" He looked down to see her wide gold eyes staring back up at him.

She made a noise and wanted to move around, but was restrained to his hold. He smiled faintly and put her down on the floor near her toy chest. "Eh, eh, eh-" She pointed to the top and tugged herself up by the end of it, trembling on her tiny feet.

The first time she had stood, it had been a fiasco. The pair of them were screaming and jumping up and down while she stood there, staring up at both of them with her binki in her mouth.

She hadn't managed to take her first step then. It was a disappointment, but they were so proud of her accomplishment nonetheless.

"What do you want, kid?" He teased, looking inside and pulling out a rattle in the shape of a dragon. "This?" He offered it to her and watched her shake it before she threw it away, uninterested now. He shook his head and pulled out a stuffed polardogbear. She eyed it with scrutiny and sucked on her binki expectantly. "Well, I don't know what you want."

He watched her turn her head and look at the dollhouse at the other end of the room. Without warning, she waddled a bit and fell. As she pulled herself back up, she began hesitant steps in the right direction, her fingers reaching out in front of her.

Her father gaped at this. "Sayuri-" He went to the door. "Korra! Korra, get in here! Yo-You've gotta see this!"

There was some noise before feet were barreling down the hall. "What?" The Avatar gasped, clutching her chest. Her robe was haphazardly thrown on and her hair disheveled. She turned to see Sayuri making her way to the dollhouse and gaped in the same fashion as her husband. "M-Mako…Sh-She's walking!"

"That's what I thought, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't going crazy," Mako said faintly as he crouched down, watching his daughter. "I can't believe she's already walking."

Sayuri clearly didn't see what the excitement was and when she reached her dollhouse, she plopped down and began to reach inside, dismantling the parts and throwing them around the room.

"Well, she's clearly your daughter," said Korra dryly as she dodged a flying bath tub.


End file.
